Monday 11 July 2011

REVIEW

The Devil and Preston Black (Appalachian Gothic)Title: The Devil and Preston Black
Author: Jason Jack Miller
Date Published: March 17th 2011  




DESCRIPTION: You'd think finding a song named after you on an old record would be kind of cool. But that's not how it goes down for Preston Black.

What starts out as a search for his old man turns into a quest for an original version of "The Sad Ballad of Preston Black". Turns out the song is about his deal with the devil, a deal Preston doesn't really remember making.

When the devil decides it's time to cash in things get really interesting. People he loves get hurt, and Preston starts to wonder if a long fall into an icy river is his only way out.

Lucky for Preston, he has help. A music ethnographer with connections in some of Appalachia's darkest hollows convinces him that his salvation can be found in the music. Preston can buy that. It's the hexes, curses and spells he has a hard time with.

And it's the ghost of John Lennon who convinces Preston to do something about it.

"With the photographic clarity of a beat poet's metaphor and the soulful twang of a bluesman's axe, Jason Jack Miller draws the reader down a trail of folksong breadcrumbs to the haunted backwoods of Appalachia, where the worst devil of all may be the one that stalks our hopes and dreams."

-Christopher Paul Carey, co-author of The Song of Kwasin




REVIEW:  This book starts out by telling us a little about Preston Black, he has had a hard life, living with his friends mum. not knowing who his dad is  and his own mum being dead. As time goes by Preston thinks he finds a link to his dad on the back of a record and this turns up as his own band is  failing. Preston then meets a woman who he thinks is the woman of his dreams,these two end up geting intermate but things turn out complicated as he finds other mens clothes in her room.Preston feels like his life is getting torn apart and he doesnt know how to get it back on  track. Preston then has to decide weather or not to follow his dreams or give up and live a normal life.

Well where to start with this book, Iv not wrote to much about the story because I really didnt want to spoil it for you guys. But I want you guys to know I think Jason is a very talented man, A man who through description and great detail let you travel along with Preston, on his jeurney  to find out who he is and where he belongs and what to do with his life. Jason brought to life a story that I think most people will  find familiar to some time in there own life. An amazing peace of writing  and im really pleased I  took the time to read it.

3 comments:

  1. This certainly sounds like an intriguing read. Thanks for sharing today. I have passed over looking at it several times because I just did not care for the cover. I know I am shallow, but what's a girl to do :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the awesome review. I really appreciate it.

    Just out of curiosity, does preston meet your idea of a Lush Lad?

    Cheers,
    Jason

    ReplyDelete
  3. yeah jason i think preston fits i with the lush lads lol

    ReplyDelete